Far from over...
Xialuote drew in a breath without thinking, and the anticipation that had only just risen at the chance she might come into contact with a potion promptly faded a good deal.
She had thought the ambush at the printing plant was already the final loose end, and that once the Church had caught the gray-clad beggar and the black-robed woman, the crisis she had faced ever since transmigrating into this body would, for the time being, be over.
Instead, the first thing out of Weiyefu's mouth was bad news.
So Father had been right after all—there really was something more dangerous behind them... Muttering inwardly, Xialuote came to the wooden chair beside the long table, sat down, and set both hands on her knees, ready for the serious talk ahead.
Weiyefu saw how tense she was. With her back to the stained-glass window, she showed a faint smile, like an angel with a halo of light gathered all about her.
"Interrogating evil cultists is not easy, especially people whose faith is wrong and yet firm enough," she said, her voice as gentle as ever. "And many methods that can be used in ordinary cases are instead poorly suited to them. Pressing too hard, agitating them again and again, even making them speak certain names and prayers—any of it may in turn corrupt the brothers and sisters in charge of the interrogation."
Xialuote was already used to these clergy addressing one another as brothers. She frowned and pressed on.
"What is corruption?"
"You may take it as mind, spirituality, and body being eroded all at once by an outside force," Weiyefu explained simply. "In a mild case, confusion and fainting. In a severe one, loss of control—or even becoming a medium through which the other side seizes the chance to affect reality."
Spirituality... loss of control... affecting reality... One term after another, plainly different from how she usually understood them, reached Xialuote's ears. Fragmented memories of that sacrificial ritual, the unintelligible prayers in the mouths of the black-robed evil cultists, the screams of agony at her ear, and the darkness before her eyes surfaced once more out of memory.
She shook her head to drive the images away, and asked on.
"How did the interrogation turn out in the end?"
"A serious problem arose partway through. The two evil cultists died on the spot, and it nearly spread to the others. Fortunately, before that, we had still obtained three pieces of sufficiently important information."
The sunlight in the room was as bright as ever, carrying a warmth that set one at ease, yet what Weiyefu said next made Xialuote feel cold sweat seep out along her back.
"First, they are indeed hunting the last sacrificial offering to escape that sacrificial ritual—that is, you. Because your escape caused the ritual to fail in the end, they must make up for the fault. Of course, taking revenge on the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun is also one of their aims."
So the eighth sacrificial offering really was her... Hearing Weiyefu confirm it, Xialuote felt the last scrap of hope that she had slipped free by luck scatter from her heart.
"Second, that sacrifice was not merely a ritual by which ordinary evil cultists please a god." Weiyefu went on. "Their aim was to obtain power from a certain evil god in exchange. According to the information we hold at present, once it succeeded, the one who presided over the ritual would very likely obtain a Bestowal at the level of a Saint."
"A Saint?" Xialuote caught the word, unfamiliar and plainly important.
Weiyefu gave a small nod.
"In mysticism, this usually refers to a high-Sequence Extraordinary of Sequence 4 or Sequence 3. A few powerful believers in the Church's history who were granted the name of saint belong to this level—Saint Luoke, for example."
Xialuote could not help a glance at the Sun Holy Emblem on the wall.
Saint Luoke Cathedral... So this name was not merely that of some devout believer in history, but of an Extraordinary powerful enough to be called a Saint? And what powerful extraordinary abilities did such people possess? She could not help letting her imagination run, and only after a moment did she ask on.
"And Bestowal?"
"This is another way of obtaining power, different from a potion." Weiyefu's tone grew a little more careful. "A potion requires a formula and materials, and it must be mastered over a long time. Only after its power has been fully drawn out can one choose to advance. Bestowal is the way a higher existence directly grants power to someone of lower standing. It is very rare, and the Church has few records of it, but it is said that it can bypass many of the steps and raise an ordinary person straight to a fairly high level of power."
Wasn't this just cheats turned on? A ding, and one became a Saint? Xialuote was startled. She could not help a thread of interest in this way of gaining power so quickly, but close on its heels came a deep fear.
By Weiyefu's account, Saints were both rare and powerful. But if that ritual had truly succeeded, it could easily have produced a high-Sequence Extraordinary close to Saint Luoke, who had a cathedral raised in his memory—enough to make every street, church, and noble residence in Suxite unsafe.
She drew her thoughts back in and asked on.
"And the third?"
"There are still unexposed evil god's believers lurking in the city," Weiyefu answered calmly. "He, or they, do not take part in the operations directly, but are responsible for providing intelligence. The ambush you met on Tuesday was most likely planned by them, and then handed to cultists who wield Extraordinary power to carry out."
There were still believers of the evil cult alive, and they were lurkers who did not join the action on the front line... Xialuote did not know whether what she felt was fear or helplessness. She had thought she had already cast off the shadow left by that sacrificial ritual, only to find that she was still upon the altar, with sacrificers of indistinct faces standing all around her, whetting their knives.
And if she did not truly master power that belonged to her, she would have no strength with which to resist.
Weiyefu seemed to wait until she had finished digesting the news before speaking again.
"So, before we speak of the reward that is yours, I need to confirm one thing."
Xialuote's heart gave a small jump.
Here it was.
"Is your faith in the Eternal Blazing Sun devout enough?"
Of course. She could be the most devout of believers... Xialuote was about to answer by instinct, when she suddenly remembered that "lie-detecting" holy canon, remembered the information Weiyefu might hold, and remembered that she had already confessed part of the truth in the confessional.
"I suppose I can only count as a shallow believer," Xialuote answered, weighing her words. "If I had to name the moment I was most devout, it was probably when I hurled that bottle of holy water at the evil cultist."
When she had said it, she lowered her head, guilty.
Weiyefu smiled again, though, and said, "Honesty matters more than pretending to be devout.
"Since that is so, you have two choices at present. The first is to formally join the Inquisition of the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun and become a 'Purifier.' But this requires further trials. You would also have to go to Fuweier Monastery to train in seclusion, and study the holy canon, rites, combat, and the rules of secrecy. Only someone devout enough, and willing to give a whole life over to the faith, is suited to this path."
At once an image rose in Xialuote's mind: Yelun in a narrow corridor, arms spread, his face full of fervor as he praised the sun. She closed her eyes and asked, "And the second?"
"Become a peripheral member of ours," Weiyefu said. "You would accept limited tasks and protection, and also bear limited responsibility. The restraints are comparatively light, but the resources, protection, and paths of later advancement you can obtain will not be as stable as those of a formal member... Of course, given the contribution you made to us this time, and the situation you face, you may receive a Sequence 9 potion in advance."
Xialuote hardly hesitated.
"I want to learn about the second one first."
Weiyefu was not surprised. She nodded and said, "What the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun commands in full is the 'Sun' pathway, the one closest to the sun. Its Sequence 9 is 'Chanter.' If you become a Purifier, then so long as your contributions are sufficient, advancing along this pathway is smoother, and safer."
She paused, then went on. "The potions a peripheral member may choose are limited, and none of them is a complete sequence. At present, the Sequence 9 potions we hold are of three kinds: 'Arbiter,' 'Lawyer,' and 'Assassin.'"
Aidian was of the "Lawyer" pathway. Strange. The complete pathway the Church commanded was "Sun," yet its Sequence 9 was "Chanter," which was not quite the same as the pathways she had learned of, the ones named for their Sequence 9 potions... Turning this over, Xialuote asked, almost in passing, "Only three?"
"There are twenty-two potion pathways in all, but some are not within the Church's grasp. Other pathways are relatively dangerous and prone to loss of control, or else lack the corresponding materials, and so are unsuited to you as you are now."
Twenty-two pathways!
Xialuote had thought the Extraordinary world was only a hidden corner made up of the Church, evil cultists, a few kinds of potion, and certain strange abilities. Now she suddenly realized that this system was far vaster than she had imagined.
Even limited to the names of Sequence 9 potions, she had only touched a corner, and could not see the whole.
She drew a deep breath, quickly settled that "Lawyer"—able to improve one's eloquence and strike at the weak places in another's heart—would be of little help with the problems she faced, and so asked outright, "What abilities can 'Arbiter' give me?"
Weiyefu answered at once. She had clearly prepared.
"You can gain a bearing that makes people believe you, authority in upholding order, a majesty that compels others to yield, and excellent fighting ability."
The first few sounded a little like "Lawyer." All of them relied on talk, on force of presence, on social rules. But fighting ability was exactly what she lacked at present, and by Hengli'aite's account a "Lawyer" had to reach Sequence 8 before facing multiple enemies head-on... Xialuote's eyes brightened slightly.
A few days ago, in the storeroom of the printing plant, the black-robed woman had driven her into a corner. She had been able to stall for time only with a bottle of holy water and a feint thought up on the spot. Earlier still, Aidian had sent her fleeing in a panic, able only to turn to Baron Gusitafu for help... If she had possessed excellent fighting ability, her circumstances would have been entirely different.
"And 'Chanter'?"
She was not eager to decide. She asked on with care.
Weiyefu touched the Sun Holy Emblem at her chest and said, "It can strengthen the constitution and, by praising the sun, bring strength and courage to oneself and one's companions. It is also the starting point best suited to believers of the Blazing Sun."
Praise the Sun... Xialuote worked to keep her expression under control, afraid she would turn into a Sister Xialuote with a face full of fervor.
"Then 'Assassin'?"
"An Assassin is skilled at hiding in the shadows and moving without a sound, at dropping from a height unharmed, and possesses the explosive force to kill in a single blow." Weiyefu went on, and just as Xialuote sat up straight and opened her eyes wide, she changed tack. "But the Inquisition forbids women to choose the 'Assassin' pathway. A certain secret organization holds this as a deep taboo, and will do everything it can to kill every female Assassin it knows of."
Xialuote was stunned for a moment.
"A secret organization?"
"I cannot tell you very much." Weiyefu shook her head slightly. "And the Church does not hold the later formulas of this pathway. If you wish to advance in the future, you can only seek a chance outside, and that would let them notice you."
It sounded like choosing a class that was overpowered and satisfying early on and was certain to be targeted later by a hidden villain... Considering she was already targeted by a pack of remnants of the evil cult, deliberately provoking yet another secret organization was truly a little too irrational... Xialuote gave up this pathway at once, then thought of something and asked, "Was the black-robed woman who attacked me on Tuesday an Assassin?"
"No," Weiyefu answered with certainty. "Her power is very strange. It does not resemble the 'Assassin' in our internal records. The matter has already been reported to Sacred Heart Cathedral in Telier, and we are waiting for a further reply."
Xialuote did not press further. She quickly weighed the advantages and disadvantages in her mind, and even considered whether, for safety's sake, she ought to join the Inquisition—whose reputation was none too good, yet which had given her a great deal of help this week—and become a "Purifier." But her own circumstances made her reject the idea just as quickly.
A moment later she raised her head and looked at Weiyefu.
"I choose to become an 'Arbiter.'"
Chapter 20